Road sweeper conveyor

ABSTRACT

A rotary road sweeper conveyor operable within a shroud is provided with debris displacement units in the form of spaced longitudinally flexible arms interconnected by terminal squeegees so that large or stiff debris pieces displaced by the squeegees may pass through the open spaces between the flexible arms.

United States Patent Scharmann et al. [451 June 13, 1972 [54] ROAD SWEEPER CONVEYOR 1,784,410 12/1930 Alexander .Q ..172/552 X 2,244,848 6/1941 Olds et al.. 1 lnvenww Gamd Sdmmmnn, Pomona; Kenn" 726,040 4/1903 Flechtheim ..1s/s4 W. Warn, Yorba Linda; Donald G. Mortensen, Upland, all of Calif. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Assignee: Wayne Manufacturing Company, Pom 501,386 4/1920 France 15/83 Calif. Primary Bummer-Edward L. Roberts Flledi p 4, 1970 Attorney-White, Haefliger and Bachand [21] App]. No.: 69,853 [57] ABSTRACT A rotary road sweeper conveyor operable within a shroud is [52] U.S. C1 ..15/83, 15/79 provided with debris displacemem units in the form of spaced [51] Int. Cl ..E0lh l/04 longitudinally flexible arms interconnected by terminal of Search l 82-87, queegees so that large or piecesdisplaced 1h:

3, 552 squeegees may pass through the open spaces between the flex- I ible arms. 6 R f C'ted [5 e erences l 3 Cl 3 D UNITED STATES PATENTS m V m 158,511 l/1875 Norris. ..15/383 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention departs from conventional practices v by the employment of rotary elevator-carried units which have such open formation as to permit potentially clogging debris to pass through the units and thus avoid interference with the elevator operation.

More specifically, the invention contemplates the provision of elevator-carried units in the form of spaced flexible arms carrying terminal shroud-engaging squeegees so that flexibility of the arms permits their deflection when stiff debris is swept into the shroud and such debris is permitted to protrude through the spacing between the arms and be discharged by the elevator.

' A further feature of the invention is 'the provision of such units mounted on a rotary conveyor shaft, preferably with at least a pair of the units extending through or outwardly from the shaft so as to resemble a dual paddle arrangement. Thus the elevator is made to displace the debris along the shroud as the shroud receives the debris from a rotary sweeper broom.

The elevator thus characterized is operable to advantage in a shroud configuration as disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 882,143, having common. assignee with the present application, and in which the shroud has its discharge location overlying the top of the elevator and opening rearwardly thereof to discharge into a debris receptacle carried by the vehicle at the rear of the shroud.

All the various features and further objects of the invention will appear in the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention shown by the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the illustrative road sweeper embodiment in the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view illustrative of the debris displacement unit to flex under conditions described in the foregoing.

In its essentially diagrammatic showing of a conventional or known type of road surface sweeper, the latter is illustrated in FIG.-1 to comprise a'vehicle body generally indicated at carried by a pair of rearwhe'els 11 and one or a pair of front wheels 12 connected to the body 10 as by a pair of arms 13. The sweeper has a conventional broom 14 power driven in the direction indicated by the arrow to sweep debris from the road surface 15. Debris is swept forwardly of the broom at 16 into the conveyor or elevator shroud generally indicated at 17 and which includes a lower inclined portion 18 defining with the broom the clearance at 16 and continuing in its arcuate extent 19 to a forwardly inclined top extent 20 which overlies the elevator to direct the debris displaced by the elevator rearwardly into chamber or receptacle 21 defined by the walls 22,

.23, 24 and 25.

The invention is primarily concerned with the elevator generally indicated at 26 and rotatably driven in the direction of its arrow within the arcuate extend 19 of the shroud. As

best illustrated by the sectional enlargement of FIGS. 2 and 3, the elevator 26 rs shown to comprise a dnven shaft 27 journaled at 28 and 29 within the side walls 30 of the sweeper body. As illustrative, the shalt may be driven by a hydraulic motor 31.

The shaft carries a plurality (two or more) of paddle-like flexible units generally indicated at 32 and each comprising a pair of flexible arms 33 suitably mounted to the shaft as by passage through slotted portions at 34 and held to the shaft by suitable fasteners 35. The arms 33 may be given the capacity for flexibility, as to the extent illustrated in FIGS. 3, in any suitable manner although preferably by making the arms of rubber which may or may not be internally reinforced so long as they have their intended flexibilities. Preferably and for purposes of stability each arm assembly includes an intermediate similar ann 36 centrally positioned by the arms 33 and as before, extending through and secured within a shaft slot at 34.

The arms 33 and 36 terminally are secured as by bolts 37 to squeegees 38 serving to interconnect the arms and to rotate in virtual engagement with or close proximity to the arcuate shroud extend l9.

In the sweeping operation debris of normal quantity and condition may be displaced by the squeegees 38 upwardly and over the elevator into the debris chamber 21. At times the elevator may, encounter such large or stiff pieces of debris that ordinarily would tend to wedge between the squeegees and shroud and, in the absence of the described flexible and open squeegee supporting arms, would tend to jam and stall the elevator to require troublesome reversals of the elevator or manual removal of the obstructing debris.

In accordance with the inventionas excessively large or stiff pieces 39 are'encountered by the elevator, thearms 33 have the capacity to flex as illustrated in FIG. 3 and to cause the squeegees to move away from the shroud, thus allowing the squeegees to repeatedly contact the debris for progressive disintegration or passage through the inter-arm spaces at 40, thus eliminating the possibility of elevator stoppage. Should large pieces be carried by the elevator, the open fonnation of the unit permits protrusion of the pieces into the spaces between the arms. 1

We claim: I

'1'. In combination with a sweeper vehicle having a rotary pickup broom, a shroud carried by the vehicle and extending arcuately upwardly and then rearwardly forwardly of the broom to discharge debris over the broom and into a receptacle carried by the vehicle at the rear of the shroud and broom, an elevator comprising a. a rotatably driven laterally extending elevator shaft carried by the vehicle forwardly of the broom,

shaft to extend radially outwardly thereof, and

c. a relatively stiff squeegee carried by the outer terminals of the arms to extend laterally in radially outwardly spaced relation to the shafi and to rotate in closely spaced relation to the shroud forwardly of the broom, the arms being resiliently flexible for at times assuming U- shaped flexed positions with the squeegee approaching the shaft in response to squeegee impact with large debris swept into the shroud forwardly of the broom and beneath the shah in the path of squeegee rotation, whereby the flexed arms and squeegee may pass relatively over the large debris allowing continued shaft rotation. 2 The combination of claim 1 including a third elastomer arm carried by the shaft and extending radially outwardly in laterally spaced relation from and between the said pair of arms, the third arm also having connection with the squeegee. 

1. In combination with a sweeper vehicle having a rotary pickup broom, a shroud carried by the vehicle and extending arcuately upwardly and then rearwardly forwardly of the broom to discharge debris over the broom and into a receptacle carried by the vehicle at the rear of the shroud and broom, an elevator comprising a. a rotatably driven laterally extending elevator shaft carried by the vehicle forwardly of the broom, b. a pair of laterally spaced elastomer arms carried by the shaft to extend radially outwardly thereof, and c. a relatively stiff squeegee carried by the outer terminals of the arms to extend laterally in radially outwardly spaced relation to the shaft and to rotate in closely spaced relation to the shroud forwardly of the broom, d. the arms being resiliently flexible for at times assuming Ushaped flexed positions with the squeegee approaching the shaft in response to squeegee impact with large debris swept into the shroud forwardly of the broom and beneath the shaft in the path of squeegee rotation, whereby the flexed arms and squeegee may pass relatively over the large debris allowing continued shaft rotation.
 2. The combination of claim 1 including a third elastomer arm carried by the shaft and extending radially outwardly in laterally spaced relation from and between the said pair of arms, the third arm also having connection with the squeegee.
 3. The combination of claim 1 including a second pair of arms and second squeegee like the first pair of arms and squeegee, and carried by the shaft to extend oppositely outwardly relative thereto, and to flex as aforesaid. 